Tuesday, November 09, 2010

So I'm back from New York - doing battle with re-entry to real life. It all went by so fast and was so intense it feels like a fever dream. It is going to take me some time to edit and process the 400 plus photos I took for sure. In the meantime, I wanted to share one of my earliest and still favorite experiences of the weekend - the supremely cool and interesting Opening Ceremony shop at the Ace Hotel.

I loved everything about the Ace so much that on my first day, I didn't leave the building until about 2 PM. (Of course, that was only 11 AM my time, but still.) I went downstairs after waking up at 10, and had a buttered, toasted hot cross bun in the lobby with my Stumptown cappuccino. Then, I walked across the lobby and entered this store, and didn't leave for almost an hour. They have the most carefully and wonderfully curated selection of clothes, tchochkes, jewelry, toys and small goods I've seen.

I wound up buying the very last pair of their special pebbled leather Dr. Martens Darcie boots, and a few gifts. I smelled every cologne, pawed through every piece of stationery and ogled the clothes - including their special collaboration line with Pendleton Woolen Mills of Portland. It was all far too expensive for my pocketbook, but just absolutely killer. So much so that I found myself starting to rationalize the purchase of a $1200. charcoal wool coat straight off the Mad Men set, until I remembered that I live in SAN DIEGO. Also, James would KILL me. I enjoyed chatting with the friendly sales staff, one of whom looked just like Joseph Gordon Leavitt (speaking of whom, we just watched a bizarre little movie the other night named Brick. Worth a rent.)

The hotel itself was a non-stop scene, in a good way. When I rolled up in the cab late Thursday night there was a velvet rope outside, and morning, noon and night - until Sunday at least - it was like a party in there. It's clearly attracting a lot of locals in addition to guests - some people might find that annoying, but I liked it. The Breslin, Stumptown Coffee and No. 7 Sub Shop are also putting out some great eats and drinks - the John Dory isn't open yet, it's coming any day now.

Opening Ceremony at the Ace
20 W. 29th Street (that's the hotel address, the shop is around the corner on Broadway)
Click the link above for the web store, it offers quite a few of their smaller items, but doesn't really give you a good feel for the great curated selection of clothing.